ULSTER Unionist Councillor Trevor Wilson has said he is shocked at the number of people waiting for surgery for more than 12 months in the Mid-Ulster Hospital, Magherafelt and Antrim Area Hospital.

Councillor Wilson explained that the figures – which were only obtained after his Party demanded them through freedom of information legislation – confirmed that compared to only three years ago the number of local people who have been waiting for over 12 months for surgical operations in the local area has spiralled from 23 to 263.